Gurugram Court issues arrest warrants against TV anchors Chitra Tripathi, Syed Suhail in POCSO case
Gurugram: A special court in Gurugram, Haryana, has issued non-bailable arrest warrants against TV news anchors Chitra Tripathi (ABP News) and Syed Suhail (Republic Bharat) in connection with a 2013 POCSO case.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Ashwani Kumar Mehta, passed the order after cancelling their bail and rejecting their requests for exemption from personal appearance in court. The court directed the SHO concerned to execute the warrants by November 30 and to appear in person if the warrants remain unexecuted.
Tripathi sought exemption, citing travel to Nasik for covering the Maharashtra elections, while Suhail sought relief on the grounds of travelling to Kanpur for by-election coverage. The court dismissed their applications, observing that both anchors had been taking the legal process lightly.
The case pertains to charges against eight journalists, including Tripathi, Suhail, and others, for allegedly airing "morphed, edited, and obscene" videos of a 10-year-old girl and her family linked to a sexual assault case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. The journalists are accused of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and violating provisions under the POCSO Act and the IT Act.
Charges have been framed under IPC s.120B (criminal conspiracy), s.469 and s.471 (forgery), IT Act s.67B (abusing children online), s.67 (publishing or transmitting sexually explicit content), and POCSO Act s.23 (disclosure of identity of a child by media) and s.13C (indecent or obscene representation of a child).
The court emphasised the need for expeditious proceedings, as the case has already been delayed by nine years. The journalists face allegations of conspiring to forge and broadcast indecent content, thereby harming the reputation of the victim and her family.
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Kashmir observes bandh to mourn Pahalgam massacre
Srinagar: Kashmir is observing a shutdown on Wednesday as a mark of grief and protest against the brutal incident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam where at least 26 people, including tourists, were killed in a terror attack.
Spearheading the protest, the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC), key travel associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and civil society groups called for the Kashmir bandh, urging the public to pause routine activities for a day in solidarity with the victims, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Officials stated that in Srinagar, most shops, fuel stations, and businesses remained shut, with the exception of outlets dealing in essential commodities.
A shutdown is being observed in Kashmir following the killings of tourists in Pahalgam. Political parties, sociopolitical groups and civil society have called for a bandh to protest the innocent killings. pic.twitter.com/Gh9TicA7zl
— Basit Zargar (باسط) (@basiitzargar) April 23, 2025
Tariq Rashid Ghani, President of CCIK, condemned the attack as a “barbaric act of violence” and stressed the need for a collective response to such atrocities.
“This is not just a tragedy — it’s a wake-up call. An attack on tourists is unprecedented and deeply disturbing. We must speak with one voice to condemn this violence and show that Kashmiris reject terror in all forms,” DH quoted Iqbal Tramboo, a Srinagar-based hotelier as saying.
Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep anguish over the incident and extended her support to the bandh. “A united stand against violence is the need of the hour,” she said.
Peaceful demonstrations were held at several locations in the Valley, where protestors condemned the deadly attack and called for an end to the killing of innocent civilians.
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